TY - JOUR
T1 - The genesis and dynamics of organizational networks
AU - Ahuja, Gautam
AU - Soda, Giuseppe
AU - Zaheer, Akbar
PY - 2012/3
Y1 - 2012/3
N2 - An extensive body of knowledge exists on network outcomes and on how network structures may contribute to the creation of outcomes at different levels of analysis, but less attention has been paid to understanding how and why organizational networks emerge, evolve, and change. Improved understanding of network dynamics is important for several reasons, perhaps the most critical being that the understanding of network outcomes is only partial without an appreciation of the genesis of the network structures that resulted in such outcomes. To provide a context for the papers in this special issue, and with the broader goal of furthering network dynamics research, we present a framework that begins by discussing the meaning and role of network dynamics and goes on to identify the drivers and key dimensions of network change as well as the role of time in this process. We conclude with theoretical and methodological issues that researchers need to address in this domain.
AB - An extensive body of knowledge exists on network outcomes and on how network structures may contribute to the creation of outcomes at different levels of analysis, but less attention has been paid to understanding how and why organizational networks emerge, evolve, and change. Improved understanding of network dynamics is important for several reasons, perhaps the most critical being that the understanding of network outcomes is only partial without an appreciation of the genesis of the network structures that resulted in such outcomes. To provide a context for the papers in this special issue, and with the broader goal of furthering network dynamics research, we present a framework that begins by discussing the meaning and role of network dynamics and goes on to identify the drivers and key dimensions of network change as well as the role of time in this process. We conclude with theoretical and methodological issues that researchers need to address in this domain.
KW - Economic sociology
KW - Economics and organization
KW - Interorganizational relationships
KW - Organization and management theory
KW - Social networks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84863101224&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84863101224&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1287/orsc.1110.0695
DO - 10.1287/orsc.1110.0695
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84863101224
SN - 1047-7039
VL - 23
SP - 434
EP - 448
JO - Organization Science
JF - Organization Science
IS - 2
ER -